Trunk.



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IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII AN. 3, 1911. 1,012,606. Patented Dec. 26, 1911.

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A. DAVIS.

TRUNK. v

APPLIUATION FILED JAN. a, 1911.

1,012,606. Patented Dec. 1911.

3 SHEETS-SEBBT 2.

A. DAVIS.

TRUNK.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 3, 1911.

1,012,606. Patented Dec. 26, 1911.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

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#W7 @M Wm 4 y UNITED sTATEs PATENT oEEIoE.

ARTHUR DAVIS, 0F EVANSTON, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR T0 MARSHALL FIELD &'COMPANY, A CORPORATION 0F ILLINOIS.

TRUNK.

Speciiioation of Letters Patent.

Application illed January 3, 1911.

Y Patented Dec. 26, 1911'.

Serial Nod-300,514.

cases for the use of traveling salesmen whol take with them a great variety of small articles of merchandise.

The object of my invention is to provide a trunk of this character which will permit the arrangement and disposal of the articles in a manner that will enable the salesman to have complete access to all the articles at a moments notice; which will permit himl to display them very quickly and effectively; and which will have great carrying capacity for the articles. l

The above objects and others will be made more apparent in the following specification, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings and the novel elements and combinations thereof will be more particularly set forth in the claims.

In the drawings: Figure 1 is a perspective view of the trunk with the doors in an open position and a number of the merchandise holding elements removed. Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view of the trunk. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of one of the merchandise holding elements. Fig. 4 is a cross section of a portion of one of said elements showing details of its construction. Fig. 5 is a detail showing vone of the lower corners of one of said elements. Fig. 6 is a horizontal section of thebodyof the trunk taken on the line 6 6 of Fig. 2. Fig. 7 is a perspective view of one of the yieldable pivot pins carried by the merchandise holding elements. Fig. 8 is a perspective View of an upper corner of one of the elements.

I accomplish the object of my invention by means of the `plurality of movable merchandise holding elements 11, which are supported in the trunk body`10 in such a manner that they may have a combined rotary and bodily movement. It is very desirable that a large number of these holding elements be rovided in the trunk. In order to arrange t em in such a manner that they may be conveniently swung about without interfering with each other, for the display of the goods, a supporting device for their pivots is necessary which permits a bodily or sliding movement. The supporting means for said pivots constitutes an important feature of my invention and will be more fully described later.

l.I preferably construct the trunk body l0 with two adjacent xed sides or Walls, to which at the outer edge are pivotally attachedthe lids or covers 12 and 13. These lids or covers meet at one of the longitudinaledges of the trunk and are provided with suitable interlocking and fastening devices 12a, 12b, 12C, 122123 13a, 13b, 13C, 13d, 13e, isf, &c., which are commonly employed in trunk construction. On one of the lids 13 I provide a suitable locking member 13g which makes connections with a ooperating lock- 1ng member on the lid 12.

The supporting devices for the previously mentioned merchandise holding elements 11 comprise platesr 14 and 15, preferably of metal, which are fixed to the inner Walls of the trunk above and below the said holding elements 11. These plates 14 and 15 are preferably given a substantially triangular form and are provided with a series of slots 16 of varying lengths having offset portions 17 and 18 at their ends. These slots are designed to receive the ends of pivot pins 19 and 2O which are attached to the merchandise holding elements 11 at upper and `lower corners of the same. The purpose of these slots is to permit the elements 11 being swung from their closed positions in the trunk to open positions without interfering with each other. These slots permit a bodily movement of the elements 11 to such positions as will permit their being swung around to wide open positions Without the inner edges or corners of the frames of the elements becoming wedged upon each other. lIhis wedging action would prevent any considerable degree of opening of the elements. Two of the elements 11 are shown in Figs. 1 and 6 in their wide open positions,

and four of them are shown in their kclosed sion normally tends to push t-he shoulder 23, and hence the pin', upwardl or toward thel lug 22. The spring is pre erably a helical spring and the shoulder 23 is preferably a disk or washer fixed to pin 19.

The pivot pin 20 at the lower corner of the element is carried by the lug 25, which is rigidly attached to the corner of the frame of said element and is provided with extensions 27, which are fixed to sald frame and serve to strengthen it at its corners. A similar arrangement is shown at 27 a at the upper corner of said frame. The pin 19 is provided With a right-angularly disposed portion 26 at its lower end, which serves as a convenient handle by which the pin may be drawn downwardly out of the slot 16 whenrit is desired to remove the element from the trunk.v

The elements 11 are further supported when in their closed positions by the bar 28 having a horizontal portion lying in the same plane with the plate 15 and having vertical portions 29 and 30 by which it is attached to the walls of the trunk. When the trunk is Vclosed and being transported from place to place the weight of the elements 11 is partly carried by the plate 15 at the bottom and partly by the bar 28. The

bar 28 also serves 1n a measure to guide the elements and to hold them in their proper vertical positions while they are being moved out into their open' positions. Without the bar 28 there would be a ytendency of the elements 11 to tilt and care would have to be taken whenI opening the elements to prevent binding or interference thereof with the plates 14 and 16. This tilting would be free to take place while the elements are in their closed positions, because of the fact that the planes of the elements are then substantially parallel to the slots 16. When the elements are atl right angles to the said slots, however, the tendency to tilt in the planes of said elements does not exist. y

The offsets 17 in the slots engage the pivot pins 19 and 20 when they are pushed back' into said offsets and assist in holding the elements rigidly in place when the trunk is closed and prevent their moving about therein. The osets 18 serve as convenient means for holding the pivot pins 19 and 20 in their proper positions while the elements are being opened.l The user of the trunk is able to move the elements outwardly to the ends of the slots after which hel pushes them into the offset 18. The offsets18then serve to retain the element in their proper opened positions. u

In Flg. 4 is shown a detail of the construction of the framework of. the elements 11. This framework is preferably composed of strips 31-31 of. wood. Between these strips 1sl placed a coarse wire netting 32,

the edges of said netting having a position between the strips. On each side of the netting 32 is placed a sheet of suitable fabric 33-34. This fabric is tightly 4drawn in place and may bev glued orotherwise secured to the netting. This fabric provides a convenient means to which may be attached articles of merchandise by means of pins, hooks, or other suitable devices. The edges of the fabric 33--34 and of the netting 32 are rigidly held in place between the strips 31--31a by means of the screws 35 which draw the said strips tightly toward each other. The outer edgesof the netting-` in the fabric at the corners are preferably cut away, as shown at 36 and 37, in order that the frame may be more solid and substantial at these points.

The trunk body is made with a lower compartment 38 which is partly inclosed within four walls of the trunk, the lower part of which is not provided with doors. The compartment 38 is partly covered by the doors 12 and 13, the walls39 and 40 having a vertical height equal to substantially half the depth of the said compartment. In this compartment I place telescopes or other containing elements, preferably two in number. One of these telescopes willk lie within the space included within the four walls while the other will occupy the space behind the Alower edges of the doors 12 and 13. The

purpose of this arrangement is to permit one of the telescopes to be withdrawn from the compartment by sliding it over the upper edge of one of the side walls after which the lower telescope may be raised to this position and removed inthe same manner. In order to permlt easy raising of the lower telescope to the said level -I provide liftingV straps 43 and 44 which are fixed to the side walls of the trunk at one of their ends and which may overlap the upper edges of the two low side walls at their other ends. The middle portion of these lifting straps should lie upon the floor of the trunk as clearly shown inFig. 1

The telescopes are indicated in Fig. 2by the reference numerals 41 and 42. These telescopes are shown in section and are preferably two in number, but any other number that may be found convenient may be used.V In case any other number is used it is necessary only that the space above the lower sidewalls 39 -and 40 be sufhcient to permit' the removal' of one of the telescopes only. This telescope is withdrawn through 'the space between the upper edge o f the side Wall 39 and the horizontal portion of the supporting bar 28. Spacing ribs 45 are arranged upon the walls of the compartment to properly hold the telescopes in place and to permit their easy removal.

In the use of my improved trunk for carrying merchandise, as above described, it will be seen that the two doors 12 and 13 are hinged upon diagonally opposite edges of the trunk body and that adjacent sides of the trunk are covered by said doors. The two doors, therefore, meet at one edge of the trunk and when unfastened, open widely, exposing the interior very completely. Onehalf of the outer walls of the trunk is thereby removed or opened. The holding elements 11 are then very accessible and can be swung around to wide open positions exposing both their sides, and hence the merchandise attached to them is in full view.

Thel slots 16 in the plates 14 and 15 permit both a rotary and a sliding movement of the pins 19 and 2O on the holding elements and for this reason the elements can be moved out to positions in which their inner edges will'not interfere with each other, as would be the case if they were capable of rotary movement only without a bodily movement. In moving an element outwardly the user may first give it a slight lateral movement to cause the pins 19 and 20 to move out of the ofsets 17. He is then able to move the element bodily in an edgewise manner to the full extent of the slot 16, after which he may give the said holding element a rotary movement to expose its innerface. In doing this he may first give the inner edge of the element a slight inward movement 1n order to move the pins 19 and 20 into the offsets 18 at the outer ends of the slots 16. When the pins are in these offsets the element can be given a rotary movement more conveniently. The offsets also tend to retain the inner edges in their outermost'positions in relationto the slots 16 while succeeding elements are being manipulated. The tendency of the elements to slide back to their previous positions is prevented by the oll'set-s 18.

While I have described my invention more or less precisely as regards the details of construction, I do not wish to be understood as limiting myself thereto, as I'contemplate changes in form and the proportion of parts and the substitution of equivalents as circumstances'may suggest or render expedient without departing from the spirit of my invention.

I claim:

1. The combination with a trunk, of a vertical holding element for merchandise car-` ried within said trunk, means immovably secured within the trunk for supporting said holding element, means carried by said holding element at one. vertical edge thereof reelements for merchandise carried by saidcontaining element, hinge members in said containing element, hinge members on said holding elements adapted to engage vsaid first named hinge members, and an elastic element onl each holding element for yieldably holding said hinge members thereon in engagement with said first named hinge members.

3. In a device of the character described, a containing element, a plurality of holding elements for merchandise carried by said containing element, hinge members on said elements, and hinge members rigidly secured within said containing element removably engaged by said first named hinge members and adapted to permit a combined rotary and sliding movement thereof and also permit the detachment of the holding elements from the containing element.

4. In a device of the character described, a containing element, av plurality of holding elements for merchandise adapted to be carriedv in close relation in said containing element, guiding and retaining plates secured 'within the containing element adjacent the ends of said elements, and means adjacent one edge of each holding element removably engaging said plates to permit a rotary and a bodily. movement of said elements.

5. A trunk for transporting and displayderlying supporting means to permit rotary and bodily movement of said holding;

elements, said bodily movement of the holding elements being progressively of different extent.

6. In a device of the character described, a containing element, a plurality of holding elements for merchandise carried by said containing element, guiding and retaining plates permanently secured within vsaid containing element adjacent the ends of said elements having slots-j of progressively different lengths, and pivot members adjacent one edge of each of said holding elements removably engaging said slots respectively and adapted to rotate and to slide therein.

7. In a device of the character described, a containing element, a plurality of holding elements for merchandlse carried by said containing element, pivot members on said elements, and hinge members comprising slotted plates in said containing element engaging said pivot members and adapted to permit a combined rotaryand sliding movement thereof. 'said slots having oli'sets at their ends into-which said pivot members are adapted to enter.

8. In a device of the character described, a containing element, a plurality of-holding elements for merchandise carried by said containingv element, guiding and retaining plates adjacent the upper and lower extremities of one edge of the holding elements adapted to permit a rotary and a bodily movement of each vof said elements,

and a supplementary supporting member bearing against the lower portions of said elements and spaced from the lower guiding and retaining late.

9. In' a device o the character described, a containing element, a plurality of verf -tical holding elements for merchandise carried by said containing element adjacent one vertical edge thereof, pivotal supports for .said elements permitting a rotary and a bodlly movement, and a supplementary sup-l porting member beneath said elements spaced from the said pivotal supports.

In testimony whereof, I have subscribed my name.

ARTHUR DAVIS.

Witnesses:

' HENRY A. PARKS,

EDYTHE M. ANDERSON. 

